


It Ends Tonight

by cherylblossomtopaz



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Cheryl is closeted, Coming Out, F/F, Friendship, High School, Kevin and Cheryl are friends, Riverdale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-10 15:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherylblossomtopaz/pseuds/cherylblossomtopaz
Summary: The beautiful, closed-off Cheryl Blossom and the bubbly, supportive Kevin Keller are high school seniors and the best of friends.-I've been wanting to write a Cheryl and Kevin friendship fic for quite some time and now here it is. Bits and pieces of it are based on my own experiences.Thanks for reading!





	1. Chapter 1

“Last night I totally made out with the guy from Greendale. He was so dreamy.”

“That’s great, Kev,” Cheryl says bitterly. “Will you get back to painting?” 

Kevin adjusts himself on his artist’s stool, facing Cheryl. “Don’t you wanna know what he looked like? He was such a hunk!”

Cheryl restrains herself from rolling her eyes. “Sure I do. Now come on your assignment’s not gonna paint itself, Keller.”

Kevin’s eyes narrow. “Cheryl, what’s going on? You never wanna hear about my extravagant adventures anymore or the guys I date or anything. What gives?” He rinses the brush in their shared cup of water. “If you’re feeling left out I could totally hook you up with Jack. He’s Grayson’s bi friend.”

“Grayson?”

Kevin gives her a look of dismay. “The guy I’ve been talking about for the past half hour, who I hooked up with last night? Anyway if you want some action with a real buck—“

Cheryl grits her teeth. “No thank you, Kevin. I do not want some ‘action’ with any slimy, scandalous sketches. The green monster is not at my door, understood?”

Kevin purses his lips, muttering acceptance. After a minute of working in silence he gasps suddenly. “I can’t believe I just remembered—  
did you hear about that new girl who moved here from the south side?”

Cheryl’s eyebrows twitch at the words “new girl,” hopeful for she doesn’t even know what. Her eyes, however, remain concentrated on the artwork in front of her. “No.” She drags the paintbrush across in heavy red. 

Kevin yanks the canvas out from under her, the stroke ruining immediately. “I swear to God Cheryl if you won’t tell me what’s going on I’m going to stab it out of you with one of these dumb brushes.”

“Nothing’s going on, Keller, except you marring my artwork,” Cheryl says crossly, mixing in orange to dilute the mess. 

“I don’t believe it for a second,” Kevin persists. “Come over tonight and let’s talk, ok?”

Cheryl’s mind whirls. “I’m meeting Veronica for dinner ton—“

Kevin smiles. “I’ll have her cancel. Tonight is just for the two of us.”

The bell rings, cutting off Cheryl‘s argument. 

—

“Okay, I’ve fed you an obscene amount of homemade chips and guac and I still have nothing to show for it.” Kevin sits on the cushioned carpet, letting Cheryl take the beanbag across from him. “What’s up?”

“The guac has been a lovely distraction, Kev. But I assure you there’s no subject I have to discuss with you,” Cheryl says promptly. 

“Ah ha. A distraction,” Kevin says pointedly. “So there is something. Are you still mad about me ruining your painting? I’m sure Ms. Chávez will let you redo it, but I just had to get your attention.” He grabs a handful of popcorn. “You’re not yourself these days, I can tell.”

“Kev—“

“We’re friends, Cher. Don’t push me away like you do almost everyone else,” he says, reaching out to cover her hand. “Was it me mentioning Jack? Because I’m sure Grayson has other bi or even straight guy friends I could set you up with.”

Cheryl‘s face falls slack. After a moment she carefully asks, “What’s it like?”

“What’s what like, Cher?”

“Being with someone,” she says quietly, as if Sheriff Keller could hear from on duty two towns away.

Kevin looks surprised. “You mean, physically?”

“God no,” she corrects. “I’ve known what an orgasm felt like since I was 16. What I meant to ask was...with someone you like. You’re attracted to Grayson, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Kevin affirms. “He’s super hot, and he’s a great kisser. But, I guess it’s more than that. He’s such a good listener and he’s brought me lunch every noon this week. I really like him.”

Cheryl’s heart cracks just a little more inside. “Can I tell you something, Kev?” She asks, drawing patterns in the rug and staring downwards, barely registering his nod. “I don’t think anyone will ever like me like that.”

Kevin makes a startled noise. “That’s crazy, Cher. You’re hot as hell. And that’s saying something, considering I don’t like women. And you’re a talented artist, a good dancer, a—“

“Bad friend,” she finishes for him. “That’s what I’ve been today, isn’t it?”

“Cher,” he says with a frown. “It’s okay. We all have bad days, bad weeks—“

Cheryl feels a tear stain her cheek. It’s now or never, she thinks. If she doesn’t do it now she never will. “Kev,” she says with a sniffle. “Can I...can I tell you something else?”

“Please,” he says eagerly. 

She sits up and gets off the beanbag, not able to make eye contact with him. “Uhh. Okay. Um...”

He sits patiently facing her. “Take your time.”

She sits, frozen, for five whole minutes without saying a word. 

When Kevin coughs she’s brought back to reality. 

She blows air out in a whistle, anxiously passing the time. “Okay. Uh, there’s something I have to say.”

“I know,” he says gently. 

“You what?!” She says in a panic. 

“Cheryl calm down. All I meant is I know you’ve got something to say,” Kevin says. “Do you want some green tea? You seem stressed, it can’t be good for your pores.”

“Kev—“

His hands fly up in defense. “Hey, I only say it as a concerned friend who—“

“I’m—“ she tries to finish her sentence and chokes. “I—“

Kevin moves over to her, pulling her into his shoulder. “Shh, it’s okay. Take your time, we’ve got all night to talk. Just the two of us, okay? No pressure.”

She stifles a cry, muffling into his sweater. 

“If you’re not ready to say whatever it is, that’s fine too,” he adds. 

She peels off of him, wiping both cheekbones. “That’s the thing, Kev,” she says shakily. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for what I’m about to do.”

His brow furrows. “Oh. Okay. We can just watch a movie or something...”

“You don’t understand, I want to tell you so bad, I have for months,” Cheryl says, trying to get her voice under control. “But every time I try, I just freak out...”

Kevin stays silent, not wanting to disrupt her words. 

She stares at the ground for a minute more, at last deciding to make eye contact with her friend as soon as her lips stop trembling. She opens her mouth, watching his small, expectant smile. 

This is it, Cheryl. Seize the day.

Well, seize the night. 

“I’m—“ she says, frustrated with how the word won’t come out of her mouth. For fuck’s sake. She meets his eyes. “I’m gay.” 

It sounds like the weirdest thing she’s ever heard anyone say.

The corners of Kevin’s mouth turn upward in a smile. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy for you!” 

Cheryl feels lightheaded, like she’s living in a fantasy world.

“Come here,” Kevin says excitedly, patting her on the shoulder. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Her voice returns with a crack. “Y-yes, of course I do, that’s why I brought it up.”

Kevin laughs. “And I’m so proud of you for it. What you just did is huge—“

“I don’t want anyone else to know,” she says hurriedly. “For now.”

“And I completely understand,” Kevin says. “But still, it takes real guts to admit a part of yourself, especially when you don’t have much support for it. How do you feel?”

“Weird. Like it’s not real, like I didn’t just...come out to you,” Cheryl says faintly. “Are you...surprised?”

“Which answer do you want? The real one or a lie?” Kevin says carefully. 

“The real one, Kev,” she says with a smile for the first time tonight. 

“I totally knew it,” he admits. “I never told a soul, but I could always tell something was different in you. Not exactly like it was in me, but similar to that. The way you act has always just set off a secrecy alarm to me.” He reaches for the popcorn again, shoveling it into his mouth before jiggling it in front of her for her to take. “Add that to the fact that you haven’t shown interest in a single guy since I met you in eighth grade, and, well...”

Cheryl can’t put her finger on it, but the fact that Kevin guessed her sexuality just makes her feel so happy inside. “Noted. I’ll be sure to act more hetero in public.”

“God, please don’t,” he says with a groan, and they laugh. “Can I ask you a question now?” 

Cheryl sits up. “Anything.”

“I know there’s like so many stages of knowing you’re gay, but...when did you most recently realize that ‘God dammit, it’s who I am’ feeling?”

She smooths down the rug, a smirk forming at her lips. “Well, if you really must know—“

“Stop stop stop,” he says in a rush, “I meant the most recent PG moment. Skip your video escapades.” 

“Calm yourself, Keller,” she says with a laugh. “All right, well, I guess it was a few months back. I was in bed on a day after my mom had said something particularly homophobic about lesbians, and I...just started searching YouTube for gay Lifetime films.”

“As one does,” Kevin agrees. 

“And I came upon this one from the 90s with a horrible camera and even worse acting,” she goes on, brushing a red lock behind her ear. “I think it was called A Truth about Jean.”

“The Truth About Jane (2000), yes. Valid, continue.”

She puts aside her surprise that he’s seen it before, considering the limited representation. “Except when I got to that one part, where Jane’s brother teases her for being gay and she just snaps and tackles him over the table.”

“Epic,” Kevin nods, crunching through a kernel. 

“When she stood up and realized that she had to put an end to things and declare herself in front of her parents, well...every part of me just felt that struggle in my soul.” Cheryl says, finally letting herself take popcorn. “‘It’s not just gossip,’ she said with instant conviction. ‘I’m gay.’ Like she is just not sorry about it. I think that’s when I realized that all the stuff I’d been watching with coming out videos and couple challenges and buzzfeed quizzes, well. It’s real, you know? Like, that’s gotta be me someday. It has to be that way because that’s who I am and it’s who I’ll always be.”

“Damn. I haven’t heard you say that many words since—ever,” Kevin says. “I’m happy for you, Cher. I want you to know that I’m here for you whenever you wanna talk or need any kind of support.“

“I need support, I need popcorn, I need a girlfriend,” Cheryl says dazedly. “You have no idea how badly I want to ram that Toni Topaz against the lockers after school until she can’t breathe anymore.”

“Toni what now?”

“The new girl. Didn’t you tell me about her?” She says. 

“I didn’t know her name, just that she‘s new here,” Kevin says with a smirk. “You do learn things fast.”

“Through the grapevine, Kev,” she assures him. “But you’ve gotta believe me, this one’s fucking hot. I’ve waited a long-ass time to be able to say something like that to anyone at all, so I’m sure you can excuse my profanity.”

“By all means, let it all out,” he says, waving a permitting hand.

“Her eyes are intense and her skin looks so smooth, and her tits—holy mother of God, her tits—I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for who you are. I like seeing this version of you. And plus, you’ve had to listen to my tales of guys for years at this point,” Kevin points out. 

“And as if that weren’t enough, her hips, and the crook of her neck, and her ass, and her thighs, and her wardrobe, Kev! Her outfits just make me want to—ugh. Fuck,” she sputters out. “She’s really something.”

“Why don’t you ask her out?” Kevin suggests. 

“Kevin, you can’t be serious. You know why I can’t ask her out,” Cheryl says sadly. 

“Well, what if you just ask her to the park, or to lunch, like a friend?” He tells her. “Then you can take her back to your place, explain everything, and see where things go from there?”

“I don’t know, Kev, it seems risky...”

“It wouldn’t be life if it weren’t. But just think about it, you might get everything you’ve wanted for the past six years in this girl. And all you have to do is ask. Besides, she’d be crazy to turn you down.”

Cheryl pulls her hair back into a ponytail. “I guess I’ll think about it.”

Kevin nods. “Good. You know, the sooner you ask a girl out, the sooner you’ll get yourself laid.”

She punches his shoulder lightly, buttery fingers on his shirt. She tilts her head into his, feeling temporarily at peace, fighting a yawn. “Grayson is a really lucky guy to have you in his life,” she says finally. “I mean it. You’re strong, caring, and smart...”

Kevin glances downwards at the girl attached at his hip. “Thanks. Means a lot coming from my best girl.”

Cheryl’s heart flutters and she lets herself slide into his lap, exhausted all of a sudden. “Thank—you. Kev.”

He tugs a blanket from his side onto her body. “Always, Cher. Always.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl and Toni at school and elsewhere.

Walking down the hallway with Kevin by her side, Cheryl feels more content than ever, despite all her problems. 

“Have you memorized what you’re going to say to her?” Kevin asks in a low voice as they turn the corner. 

“I—I think so. But I’m still nervous,” she answers, opening her locker to throw books inside. “What if she just flat-out says no to lunch? Then I can’t even—“

“Just breathe, okay. She’s not gonna say no, trust me.” Kevin’s ears perk up. “Oh my god don’t look now but there she is. By the windows.”

Cheryl shuts her locker and turns immediately, ignoring Kevin’s warning. She breathes in a gasp as an unmistakable shiver lands low in her abdomen.

Toni Topaz stands, probably talking with Veronica about her new classes. Her hair lightens and her eyes glow in the sunlight, and Cheryl’s eyes fly to the girl’s low-cut jean top. If only I could pull down that zipper—

“Earth to Cheryl,” Kevin says, jabbing her arm. 

Cheryl winces. “Dammit, Kev. I can’t help it when she’s just so...” she loses track of her words as Toni bends over to pick up Veronica’s dropped keys, flannel around her waist and backside jutting out. 

“Okay that’s it. We’re getting you in there.” Before Cheryl has time to react, Kevin calls out, “Veronica! Who’s this?”

Veronica and Toni maneuver over to Cheryl and Kevin as Cheryl curses her friend out. 

“I’m Toni. Toni Topaz,” the girl says, her eyes hooked on Cheryl’s as Cheryl crosses her arms defensively. “You must be the famed Cheryl.”

“F-famed by who?” Cheryl asks, confused. 

Toni laughs and the sound goes straight to Cheryl’s stomach. “I was joking, hot stuff. Veronica told me you were her friend.”

“Cher, what’s good with you and Kev? We gotta hang out soon,” Veronica asks, oblivious the blush staining her friend’s face. 

“Just trying to have a good senior year is all,” Kevin answers to the rescue. “Cheryl’s busy this afternoon, but I’m sure you and I could go the Bijou.” He takes Veronica’s arm and leaves Cheryl with Toni. Cheryl makes a mental note to slap him when she gets the chance. 

“So. Bombshell,” Toni says, resting her left shoulder against the lockers and eyeing Cheryl up and down. 

“It’s Blossom.” Her eyes train the floor. 

Toni stifles a grin. “Mhm. Well, as you know, I’m new here and could use someone to show me around.”

Cheryl’s eyebrows furrow. “I thought Veronica was—“

“I want you.” Toni says, her gaze making Cheryl feel flutters throughout her body. “To show me around,” she says, clearing her throat. “In fact if you didn’t have plans this afternoon—“

“I don’t,” Cheryl says too quickly, scolding herself. “I don’t know why Keller said that.”

“Wanna meet me at Pops?”

“Like—like on a date?” She says, dropping the last word and making sure no one was around to hear her say it. 

“Relax,” Toni says with a smile. “I only want to be your friend.” She adjusts the straps of her backpack and meets Cheryl’s gaze again. “For now.”

She’s gone with a wink. 

It takes Cheryl the entire rest of the day to catch her breath. 

-

Cheryl pulls up in her red convertible, seeing an empty lot except for the car she knows is Pop’s. A sinking feeling fills her with gloom as she wonders if Toni decided to stand her up. 

She enters anyway, saying hi to Pop with a grimace and ordering a cherry phosphate for herself. She pulls out the bar seat and just as she’s about to sit down—

“Over here, Blossom.” Toni, sitting alone in the booth, two strawberry milkshakes in front of her. 

Cheryl’s eyes flicker from the parking lot to the table and back again. “But how did you—“

“My bike is parked out back,” she says. “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that fast, did you?”

Cheryl bites her lip to keep from smiling goofily.

“Sit down,” Toni tells her, so she does it. “You look great.”

“I—was wearing these clothes at school.”

“I know.”

Cheryl blushes, taking a sip of her milkshake at last. “I hardly know anything about you.”

“I could say the same about you,” Toni remarks smugly. “But since you wanna know...I’m 18, just moved here from Southside High, I’m both an orphan and an only child, I’m the leader of the Serpents...”

“The Serpents,” Cheryl echoes. “The gang?”

She cocks an eyebrow. “You got a problem with that, Miss Northside?”

Cheryl shakes her head. “How did you become the leader?”

“I’m the heir to the Uktena Topazes. My uncle was taking care of me—I use the word ‘care’ very lightly—until I came of age to inherit the gang.” Toni takes a loud slurp of the shake. “What about you, what’s your story?”

Cheryl thinks about what she could say to match the intimacy of the things Toni’s told her. “I—used to have a twin brother.”

“Oh,” Toni says, her face falling. “I’m sorry to hear that. That he’s—gone.”

“You can say dead,” Cheryl says calmly. “It’s not going to change the truth.” She stays silent for a moment more. “Anyway, I live with my parents as an only child, and I often wish I were an orphan, so I guess we have that in common.”

“You don’t have to get into it. I overshare, as you can see,” Toni says, wiping her lips. “Why don’t we order some food?”

The date—no, friendship outing—goes smoothly. For the first time in a long while, Cheryl feels interested in conversation with someone other than Kevin. 

“I’m heir too,” she says, unprompted, putting down her burger. “To the Blossom Maple Farms and estates.”

“A brag? It’s much bigger than my title,” Toni says jokingly. 

Cheryl shrugs. “It’s a shit-ton of money, but you’ve got everyone following you for better reasons. Plus, my parents would probably get rid of my fortune if they ever found out that I’m—“ she cuts off short, reddening. “Never mind.”

Toni holds out her tray of fries, trying to clear the moment. “Want some?” 

Cheryl gladly takes a few. “This has been really fun, Toni. Maybe we can...see each other again sometime?” She suggests nervously.

Toni smiles. “Of course.” She lowers a hand to the table and reaches across to tap Cheryl’s. “And hey, if there’s anything you wanna talk about...just know I’m here.”

Cheryl’s heart thuds. “There’s nothing I can talk about.”

“You don’t know how good I am at keeping secrets,” Toni says simply, getting up and throwing her napkins away. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

Cheryl watches her leave through the back door of Pop’s, heart fuzzy in her chest and brain short-circuiting as the girl mounts her bike, speeding away.


End file.
